Which Floors Can You Use With Underfloor Heating?
Underfloor heating is a wonderful and efficient heating system. However, its design means it's in close contact with the floor. Because of this, not every floor can be laid over underfloor heating.
It's fine to use engineered, laminate and luxury vinyl tiles, as these floors are all designed to cope with dramatic temperature changes. However, it's always worth double-checking with the product manufacturer, and remember that no floor should be exposed to temperatures above 27 degrees Celsius.
Floors Not Suitable to Lay Over Underfloor Heating
Except for Juncker's floors, solid wood is not so suitable. You can't use solid wood floors with underfloor heating because the high heat can dry them out, causing them to shrink and creating gaps in the floor. When the heating goes off again, the wood reabsorbs moisture and expands, which can make it swell and buckle.
Hints & Tips
Follow our underfloor heating advice to ensure you don't experience problems during and after installation.
- The heat needs to be spread evenly across the floor, with no hotspots.
- Floors must be laid close to the subfloor, with no gaps between the layers, so the floor doesn't dry out.
- The relative humidity of the room should be less than 60% both during and after the installation.
- We supply several uniquely designed, ultra-low tog value underlays specially designed for underfloor heating systems. Stay clear of fibreboard or thick acoustic underlays, as these will reduce the efficiency of the underfloor heating system. Regardless of which underlay you choose, make sure it has a DPM (Damp Proof Membrane).
Laminate Flooring Suitable for Underfloor Heating
We stock the best laminate flooring for underfloor heating from top brands such as Quickstep, Kronospan, and Balterio Traditions in a vast range of colours and thicknesses. Laminate is incredibly suitable for underfloor heating systems because it is hard-wearing and not prone to warping under temperature changes.
When shopping our laminate range - make sure you read each product description to ensure it reads "suitable for use with underfloor heating". You'll need to follow our hints and tips above to ensure you experience no problems during installation.
Luxury Vinyl Flooring Suitable for Underfloor Heating
LVT is another highly durable flooring material making it one of the best options for installing above underfloor heating. It's ideal as it can expand and contract with temperature changes.
You can shop a huge range of LVT compatible with underfloor heating from renowned brands such as Karndean, Polyflor, and Quickstep Alpha. Again, ensure you double-check each product page to find our "suitable for use with underfloor heating" certification and follow our installation advice.
Engineered Wood Floor for Underfloor Heating
If you want a warm underfoot wood floor in your home, engineered wood is the best type of wood to use for underfloor heating as it reacts well to changes in temperature. An appropriate thickness choice is 15mm thick to allow heat to pass through efficiently. There are many engineered styles, colours and brands to choose from - check each product page to find the "suitable for use with underfloor heating" certification.